Img. ID: 332835
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts  

Back to the object

The first sheet of the scroll includes a prefatory panel with several narrative scenes from the Book of Esther and 3 columns of the text (nos. 1-3).

The prefatory panel: The scroll opens with a panel containing several illustrations from the Esther story. The upper part is divided into three scenes. In the center King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther are depicted; they sit together on the throne and on its pedestal a Hebrew inscription כשבת המלך (“as the king was sitting”) is visible. The royal couple is accompanied by courtiers; on the left, there is a group of men who can be the king's advisers or princes of Media and Persia, while on the right, there is a group of women who are the maidens of Esther. Below, in a rectangular panel, Queen Esther is shown seated on a throne surrounded by plant ornaments, lions, birds, heads of angels, and the Hebrew words ברכת מגילה birkat megillah (“blessings for the [reading of] Megillah”). The middle register consists of three rectangular frames: in the central frame are printed three initial benedictions, in the panel on the right are shown king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, hanged on two gallows (Es. 2:23), and in the panel on the left is depicted Haman and his sons hanged on three gallows (Es. 7:10, Es. 9:14, or Es. 9:25). Below there are three other episodes from the Book of Esther (from right to left): Queen Esther and Mordecai write letters instructing the Jews to observe Purim (Es. 9:29), Haman leads Mordecai through the streets of Susa (Es. 6:11), and possibly Mordecai tearing his clothes as a sign of mourning (Es. 4:1).

Text column no. 1: The upper part of the first text panel is decorated with elaborated acanthus leaves flanking a bust of a king (possibly Ahasuerus). Below, inside the text panel, there is the decorative word ויהי - "it happened". In the horizontal components of these four letters, an inscription by the engraver is placed:

מרדכי סופר

סתם מקק

נייטרא יעא נעשה ונומר בשנת

תקצד

ל'פ'ק

- "Mordecai sofer stam [an expert religious scribe] of the holy community of Nitra made it in the year [5]594 [=1834] according to the small counting".

Below the text column, in the rectangular frame, the fest of the king is depicted. It shows an oval table with a number of men at it and servants serving dishes.  

Text column no. 2: In the lower-left corner of the column, the moment of death of Queen Vashti is depicted. The queen is kneeling between two women who strangulate her with a scarf. The scene is related to the extra-biblical tales saying that Vashti was killed after she refused to appear in front of the king during the feast. Most likely, the engraver was inspired by a similar illustration incorporated in the Amsterdam printed scrolls of the early 18th century that in the Index are called "the scrolls with portrait medallions" and "the scrolls with landscapes"; however, the direct source for this representation remains unknown. 

Text column no. 3: In the lower-left corner of the column, the moment of the wedding of Ahasuerus and Esther is depicted. The royal couple stands in front of a man whose garments resemble the clothing of the high priest. Most likely, the engraver was inspired by a similar illustration incorporated in the Amsterdam printed scrolls of the early 18th century representing two groups that in the Index are called "the scrolls with portrait medallions" and "the scrolls with landscapes"; it seems that their creators were familiar with similar representations present in European art that are paintings showing the scene of the marriage of Mary and Joseph.